School proprietors and administrators have been urged to strengthen financial management, invest in teachers and establish effective succession plans to ensure their institutions remain sustainable beyond the tenure of their founders and head teachers.
Sam Kuloba, a retired Commissioner for Secondary Schools at the Ministry of Education and Sports, said a school’s success should be measured not only by its academic performance but also by its ability to continue operating and growing long after its founding leadership has left.
“Establishing a school requires major investment, but the continuing financial challenges begin after opening it,” Kuloba said.
He was speaking at the Stanbic Business Forum held at Mount Elgon Hotel in Mbale on Tuesday. The forum, held under the theme “The Extra Mile: Building Schools for a Sustainable Future,” brought together education stakeholders from Eastern Uganda to discuss strategies for ensuring the long-term viability of schools.
Kuloba urged school owners and administrators to look beyond constructing classrooms and achieving academic results, arguing that sustainable institutions require sound financial systems, professional leadership and effective operational planning.
He called on school proprietors to adopt realistic budgets, maintain proper accounting records, promote transparent financial reporting and ensure responsible expenditure.
He also encouraged schools to diversify legitimate revenue sources, develop three- to five-year strategic plans and prioritise completing ongoing projects instead of spreading resources across multiple unfinished developments.
Kuloba further advised school owners to explore partnerships with financial institutions to support their development plans.
He said sustainability should be planned from the outset rather than treated as a response to financial or administrative challenges.
“As we talk about a sustainable future, we must start today. We must build the schools we want tomorrow by putting the right systems in place today,” he said.
Kuloba said schools should establish management structures that promote accountability, teamwork, professional administration and succession planning.
He warned against building institutions around the personalities or individual abilities of founders and head teachers, saying schools need systems that allow them to function effectively when leadership changes.
He also emphasised the importance of investing in teachers, noting that their professional development and welfare directly influence learning outcomes.
“Invest in the teacher. When you invest in the teacher, you improve learning outcomes. That is sustainability. You are building for the future, not just for today,” Kuloba said.
He urged school proprietors to embrace appropriate technology, strengthen partnerships with government and private-sector institutions, and invest in infrastructure that supports effective teaching and learning.
“The real measure of leadership is not whether the institution depends on you. It is whether the institution can continue to perform, grow and deliver quality education even when you are no longer there,” he said.
Tunde Thorpe, Stanbic Bank’s Executive Head of Business and Commercial Banking, said schools contribute to national development by equipping learners with the knowledge and skills needed to participate in the economy.
He said the bank had supported individuals, schools, entrepreneurs and institutions through financing, payment solutions, business development and connections to economic opportunities.
Thorpe added that Stanbic had more than Shs5 trillion invested across different sectors of the economy.
However, he said the impact of financial institutions should not be measured solely by the size of their balance sheets, but also by the opportunities and improvements their support creates for communities and businesses.
He cited schools that expand responsibly, teachers who receive better support, young people who acquire relevant skills, women who develop sustainable enterprises and farmers who gain access to reliable markets as examples of meaningful economic impact.
Thorpe also linked investment in education to Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions, noting that the country’s target of growing its economy from approximately US$50 billion to US$500 billion by 2040 would require sustained investment in human capital.
He said agro-industrialisation, tourism, mineral development, and science, technology and innovation were among the key drivers of the country’s growth agenda.
“Human capital is not a footnote to the tenfold growth ambition; it is one of its foundations,” Thorpe said.
Hassan Nkuutu, Senior Education Inspector for Mbale, called for continuous professional development among education inspectors to keep pace with changes in the education system.
He said refresher courses and regular training were necessary to strengthen the capacity of inspectors to monitor schools and support improvements in education quality.
“If the education system is changing, those responsible for monitoring it must also continuously develop their skills. We should also strengthen childhood education and foundational skills,” Nkuutu said.
He emphasised the importance of strengthening early childhood education and foundational learning as part of broader efforts to improve educational outcomes.
Melisa Nyakwera, Stanbic Bank’s Head of Commercial Banking, said the bank was committed to supporting school proprietors beyond financing classroom construction.
She acknowledged that managing school finances had been a challenge for some proprietors and said sustainable school development required a broader approach that included financial management and long-term planning.
“Developing a school is about building more than classrooms. It is about building a sustainable future for generations to come,” Nyakwera said.
She added that the bank was committed to supporting initiatives that strengthen the education system and help schools build the capacity to serve future generations.
The forum highlighted the need for education institutions to combine sound financial management, professional leadership, teacher development and strategic investment to maintain quality education and remain resilient amid changing economic and operational conditions.
